.

Three weeks went by.

Jun had become the Host Club's most important client, as he was still the target for many taunts and cold stares. While under their protection, he was escorted through the halls in between classes by at least one Host- two, if one were to count the Hitachiin Twins. Yes, those devilish doppelgangers became ironically tight with the freshman in just a few days, eyeballing anyone who dared to look at the blue-eyed boy the wrong way. Hunny and Mori were especially adamant about keeping a close eye on him, each one taking a spot in the middle of the hallway ready to pounce on the slightest signs of aggression. It didn't take long for the other students to catch their drift: stay away from the homo kid.

Not much about Jun had changed though, he was still glancing downward at the floor in shyness and carrying lots of books in his arms to avoid direct contact with others. He was grateful to the Host Clunb, though; without them, he would have felt even more vulnerable. Yet it took him nearly a month to finally come out of his shell, when someone literally bumped into him one morning.

Neither one saw the other one coming, as they were both distracted while hurrying down the hall and came to a corner. Their bodies clashed and their books went flying. Both boys scrambled to pick up their belongings, when they both reached for the same brown textbook. Their hands touched, and their eyes met. The new boy's eyes were a deep brown, much like Haruhi's, but his skin was slightly darker and his hair a muddy brunette and long enough to be pulled into a thin ponytail in the back. He was taller than Jun- heck, most people were taller than Jun- but this one looked suspisciously older, and slightly heavier built. He looked like a potential football star.

"Pardon me," said the ponytailed teen.

"Excuse me," muttered Jun sheepishly.

Their hands pulled at the book, neither one giving in to the other. "This is my book," the darker teen insisted.

"No, that's mine. I've got Biology next."

"Are you in Room 317?"

"Yes?"

"Me too. I guess we've both got the same subject... Oh wait, here's the other one." The older boy picked up the identical textbook nearby and rose to his feet. "I'm Leon. What's your name?"

"J-Jun. Jun Sazuka."

"We better hurry up or we'll be late for class. ...Race ya?"

"Um..." He blinked, unsure of how to respond. Instincetively, he glanced around for the nearest Host Club member, as there always was one in the hall. He found Tamaki standing by the doorway to the staircase, and the Host King smiled and gave him an encouraging nod.

"Sure," nodded Jun to Leon. "I guess it wouldn't-"

"ReadysetGO!" shouted Leon as he tore down the hall.

"...hurt?" The freshman took a gasp and hurried after him.

.

It was after class and during recess in the gardens that Jun got to know his classmate a little better. Leon was an exchange student whose grades fell behind; it turned out he was indeed a jock, focused far more on sports than studies. He was in desperate need of a tudor, but no one in his grade seemed to be willing to give him a shot. That's when Jun stepped up to the plate.

"If you're having trouble with your classes, I can help. I pick up this stuff pretty quickly," the boy admitted.

"You'd do that for me? Really?" Leon seemed touched by Jun's offer.

"Uh-huh."

"That'd be awesome. Come on by my house sometime, and we'll go through our homework together. Want my address?"

"Sure."

Nearby, at the mouth of the rose hedgemaze, Tamaki and the Twins were peeking out from inside, spying on the freshman and the jock. The Twins looked especially concerned.

"Whaddya say, Boss?" asked Hikaru softly but darkly.

"Do we rush him?" echoed Kaoru.

"Just wait," replied Tamaki. He had a strong feeling about this new kid, and was being unusually patient.

Jun shook his new friend's hand after Leon gave him a small piece of paper with his name, address and phone number written on it. "Remind me to give you my number too, Leon."

"Thanks, Jun. You're the first nice kid I've met in this school so far."

The smaller boy blushed slightly. "Aw, shucks. I'm just trying to pay it forward."

"Say wha?"

"I've met some nice guys here too, and they've been helping me get over... um, some issues."

"Yeah, like what?"

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. But I will introduce you to them sometime. They call themselves The Host Club."

"Hmm... I'll look into that. Thanks again, Jun." The smaller boy began to turn and walk away when Leon had the sudden urge to touch his shoulder. "Wait, one last thing."

Jun turned back, still avoiding eye contact. "Yes...?"

Leon reached for the smaller boy's chin and gently raised it, causing Jun to blush even more. To his surprise, there was no evil smirk on Leon's face, nor was there any tension in his grasp. Instead, all he saw was a warm and welcome smile. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but... you really shouldn't look down so much. And get yourself some contact lenses."

"Contact lenses? ...Why?"

"Because, then everyone can see your pretty eyes."

"Ugh!" gasped Jun, pulling himself away from the taller boy while his face flustered. Feeling threatened, he turned away and grasped his arms as though Leon were about to bite them. "Why would you say something like that?"

Leon blinked. "Huh?"

"You... You know about me, don't you? You're just teasing me because I'm... I'm..."

"You're... a guy with nice blue eyes?"

"Don't mock me," the boy tembled.

Leon frowned, "I'm not mocking you. Honest." Again, he placed his hand on Jun's shoulder, trying to calm him down. "I really do like your eyes."

While his head was turned from Leon, he heard the gentility in the taller boy's voice, and he also noticed the blonde and redheads peeking nearby. He saw the three of them giving him thumbs up in approval, encouraging him to look back at Leon.

And when he did, his eyes locked onto those big brown ones for the first time...

"..."

"..."

"...I'm sorry," muttered Jun. "I'm just used to being picked on."

"...That's okay. Sometimes I get made fun of for being stupid."

"You're not stupid."

"And you're not... whatever it si you're made fun of for."

"...Leon?"

"Yes?"

"...Do... Do you... like boys?"

The dark teen paused to decipher the question, until he smiled. "Why do you ask?" His voice was inviting.

Jun smiled back, his eyes gleaming. "No reason."

Tamaki patted Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders proudly. "I think our job here is done, boys. Let's head back to the club."

The Twins nodded, and off they went.

The sun shone brightly down on Ouran Academy that warm, spring day.

.

END